Yu Xiaoduo didn’t sit at the conference table. Instead, he took a single seat against the wall, pretending to take notes in his little notebook.
“Everyone, please sit,” Gu Wan’er said calmly.
The group sat down one by one, but they all made a mental note of Yu Xiaoduo.
Yu Xiaoduo silently cursed himself for being too impulsive. If Gu Wan’er’s project fell through, he wouldn’t last long in this company either. See? Women really do affect your judgment. Especially that line about being “half my woman”—it had completely sucked him in.
Comrade Gu Wan’er, I didn’t realize you’d found my weakness and started exploiting it.
Gu Wan’er glanced at the empty seats to her left and right, her eyes glinting coldly. If they don’t want to come, then they can just never come at all.
“Secretary Yu.”
Hearing Gu Wan’er call his name, Yu Xiaoduo took out the prepared materials and handed one to everyone present. The executives began flipping through them. Sure enough, they were all documents related to the port project.
Hong Lifei pretended to be shocked. “GM Gu, this is last year’s major city project!”
Gu Wan’er nodded calmly. “That’s right. There’s now an opportunity to acquire thirty percent of the shares. I’d like to hear everyone’s thoughts.”
The head of the Sales Department was named He Zhi, a chubby guy who looked kind of out of shape. But he had real skill, especially when it came to closing deals over dinner—he’d landed quite a few good projects that way.
“The project is solid, but the cycle is too long. Profits would come in too slowly,” He Zhi said, frowning and keeping his voice low.
Everyone knew it was a good project. But they’d all gotten word the night before: stop it at any cost. Sometimes, they almost felt a little sorry for this young GM Gu.
Honestly, at first, the executives all thought Gu Wan’er was just here to pad her resume. But later, they realized things weren’t that simple.
On her very first day, both deputy GMs didn’t even show up. They wouldn’t dare do something like that on their own—someone behind them had clearly arranged it.
Guan Changfeng, the head of the Technical Department, was bald. He also jumped in. “GM Gu, the group has always prioritized having full control over its projects. But this project would require us to listen to others. That reflects poorly on the group’s image. Please give this more thought.”
His words made the executives nod silently. Doing business with the Gu name—how could they play second fiddle to anyone? At the very least, they needed to stand on equal ground with an equal say.
Hong Lifei let out a soft sigh. “GM Gu, the company accounts don’t have that much liquid cash right now. We can only scrape together about two billion at most. Getting to four billion would be… difficult.”
“How long would it take?” Gu Wan’er asked directly.
“One month.”
Yu Xiaoduo sneered inwardly. One month? By then, the opportunity would be long gone.
Look at these guys. They might as well have rehearsed their lines ahead of time. He’d expected this outcome, but seeing it happen was still infuriating. When not a single department is willing to cooperate, how are you supposed to get anything done?
Gu Wan’er’s original plan had been to stabilize things internally first. But then this huge opportunity had appeared out of nowhere. Now, with the internal situation still a mess and opposition coming from all sides, every step was a struggle.
Yu Xiaoduo glanced at Gu Wan’er. She looked remarkably steady. She was starting to have that real “strong businesswoman” vibe.
“Everyone should know that the port project has strong government support,” Gu Wan’er began. “Although the cycle is long, the returns are substantial. It would also play a major role in the group’s future development and allow us to cooperate with local groups to boost growth.”
“I’ve heard that the Gu Group’s reputation locally has been declining. It’s because of this arrogant, self-centered attitude. Otherwise, we would have secured this project last year. Now that I’m here, I intend to break that pattern and rebuild the group’s image.”
Gu Wan’er’s words left the entire conference room in dead silence. Yu Xiaoduo thought, Now this Gu Wan’er is starting to feel authentic. She’s leaning a bit towards Sister Bai’s style. And judging by what she just said, she clearly did her homework last night.
These old foxes in upper management would have to re-evaluate this young boss. She really was a true-born member of the Gu family. She could completely command the room.
Hong Lifei spoke seriously. “GM Gu, I really want to see this project succeed. But the company accounts are genuinely tight. Freeing up capital isn’t something we can do in just a few days.”
No money. That was a fatal problem. But Gu Wan’er didn’t buy it. No matter how poor the branch was, there was no way they couldn’t scrape together four billion in liquid assets. They were clearly trying to stop her from getting the project.
Just as Gu Wan’er was about to speak, the conference room door opened. Two middle-aged men walked in with smiles on their faces.
Gu Wan’er shot them a cold glare. Finally here. Looks like you got scared after all.
Yu Xiaoduo had to admit, Fu Quan had good instincts. He was a decent judge of people. But then again, this was only the second time he’d seen these two deputy GMs.
“GM Gu, we were out of town negotiating other projects. Our sincerest apologies for not being able to greet you properly,” Gu Xiao said, his smile as warm as if he were looking at his own niece.
Gu Lin, sitting beside him, was much more reserved, but he also kept a low profile. In Gu Lin’s heart, he knew that direct-line family members like Gu Wan’er were never easy to deal with. Their disdain for the branch lines was practically engraved in their bones.
Gu Wan’er suppressed the turmoil inside her and spoke in a tone that sounded almost complimentary. “You two vice GMs have worked hard, always putting in effort for the group. The group will not forget your contributions.”
Yu Xiaoduo blinked. Comrade Gu Wan’er, your verbal game has leveled up. Anyone listening might think you were about to fire them both. That was a blatant threat, plain and simple.
Hearing this, their faces showed subtle expressions, but they still smiled. “It’s what we should be doing.”
“Please, have a seat.”
“Thank you, GM Gu.”
Gu Xiao picked up the proposal in front of him, glanced at it, and then said with exaggerated delight, “GM Gu, this is last year’s major project! I fully support your proposal.”
Gu Lin, sitting on the left, put down the document and nodded. “GM Gu, we all admire you. Last year, half our time was spent preparing for this project, only to fail. I didn’t expect you to secure it as soon as you arrived. I hope the entire company will pull together to make this project a success.”
Gu Wan’er’s thoughts were in a bit of a mess right now. She had expected them to come in swinging with objections. Instead, they were being incredibly supportive. What were they playing at?
Yu Xiaoduo also hadn’t expected them to pull a reverse play. No way.
“You two vice GMs, everyone in this room supports GM Gu. But the funding issue…” Hong Lifei said helplessly.
Gu Lin spoke calmly. “I’ll see what I can do about the funding.”
“Old Lin, what’s there to think about? Put other projects on hold for now and recall the capital first,” Gu Xiao urged.
Gu Lin frowned. “That won’t work. Delaying projects hurts the group’s image and could even lead to penalties.”
“What are you saying, then? Are we just supposed to let the major project our GM Gu worked so hard to secure fall through?” Gu Xiao slammed his hand on the table, acting as if he would go to any lengths to support Gu Wan’er’s project.
Yu Xiaoduo finally got it. You two are putting on a double act. You’re not offending anyone. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
If they ever got fired, they could totally become actors in some sleazy variety show. They’d definitely make a living.
